Bryan Adams (born November 5, 1959, Kingston, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, photographer, and social activist whose hit albums Cuts Like a Knife (1983) and Reckless (1984) made him one of the most popular and successful recording artists of the 1980s. Adams was musically talented at an early age and taught himself how to play guitar. His father served in the Canadian army, was a UN peacekeeping observer, and served as a diplomat, necessitating many relocations for the family. When his parents divorced, he lived with his mother just north of Vancouver, British Columbia.